Angelfish Breeding FAQ: Complete version for printing.

Angelfish Breeding FAQ

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This version of the FAQ has most of the essential information from our site, arranged for printing from your browser. If you want to study the ABFAQ off-line, or to give a copy to a friend, print this out. It may take 12 pages or more.
This information free. I have spent thousands of hours gathering it and maintaining this FAQ. If you find it valuable, and are moved to contribute a buck or three, send a contribution to Reggie Dawes, 506 Fern Street, New Orleans, LA 70118. Thank you!

CONTENTS

How do I get a breeding pair?

I know that quarantine is a good way to avoid sick fish. Can you describe a good procedure?

How can I tell the males from the females?

What is a spawning slate?

What should I feed my Angels?

What about water?

What's the best temperature for Angels?

How do I know when they're ready to spawn?

Can I raise baby Angels in a community tank?

Can the pair raise their own young?

What's the ideal setup for a breeding pair?

What's the ideal setup for fry?

How can I count the eggs?

What happens during the first week?

How do I hatch brine shrimp for feeding Angel fry?

How do I get rid of 100+ young Angels every week?

How can I make good pictures of my Angels?

My angels are sick / dying. What can I do?

Where can I get more information?

I know a better way: how can I contribute to this FAQ?

1. How do I get a breeding pair?

BUYING A BREEDING PAIR can be expensive. It's usually better to buy four to eight small Angels in strains and colors that please you. Angelfish don't know what color they are, and will mate with any other variety. The common Silver is fascinating: stripes darken and lighten with moods. They may be stronger, less shy, and better parents than other strains. Breeding Silver and Gold adults will throw 1/4th gold fry... nice for variety.

It's best to buy from established breeders in your neighborhood, or mail-order from one of the fine hatcheries listed below or in the "Angelfish Site Tour" at www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=abring;list. If you want to risk buying from a pet store, ask about their guarantee policy. Select active fry from one or more large lots. (Breeding healthy brothers and sisters is usually no problem. In most strains, it will yield nearly identical offspring. 'Out-crossing' is recommended if your strain grows weak, or after three generations.) Look for perfect fins and gills and eager, hungry fish. Don't buy from a tank with sick fish... though they may move slowly in cold water, typical in pet shops. Always quarantine new arrivals. Quick changes in temperature and chemistry is stressful: when moving Angels; introduce water from the new tank on a schedule, like 1/3 volume per hour.

After they grow to about two inches (5cm) round, 8 to 12 months old, a female will become gravid -- IF your water is right, and the tank isn't too crowded. She and a male will flash fins, face off, lock mouths and twist. A happy pair may groom each other and jointly start to clean the spawning slate.

It's good to allow a young pair to spawn a few times before moving them, or they may lose the urge. If they're already in a breeding tank, move the others. Don't be alarmed if they eat the first few spawns.

Angels don't mate for life. Save a few other adults to replace a breeder that dies or is unsuitable. Partition tanks with plastic to protect new-comers, slower-swimming fish with long fins, or injured fish. I use light-panel lens material from the local builders' supply, cut slightly large and wedged in place. If you worry about circulation, use the open grid type.

2. I know that quarantine is a good way to avoid sick fish. Can you describe a good procedure?

Every time you add fish from a new source, you are adding all the bugs that the previous owner had. Some of these can kill YOUR fish, or perhaps just keep them from raising fry. If this happens, you may have to get rid of your fish, go DRY, sterilize everything, and start over. Major bummer.

Through a special arrangement with Lloyd Spear, I am presenting his explanation of the why and how of quarantine.

Dec 11 1998
Quarantine of new fish
by Lloyd Spear

Once an aquarist moves beyond the beginning hobbyist stage, one of the most misunderstood yet most important keys to continued success is the requirement to quarantine new fish.

Now, I know that quarantining new fish is a pain in the neck at best, and sometimes is totally impractical. Nonetheless, if you have fish that have a considerable monetary or sentimental value, and add new fish without a quarantine period, you will (eventually) cause your fish to die. I will explain the ‘why” of this, and then outline quarantine procedures that are both effective and practical.

Your fish harbor bacteria, and probably also harbor parasites. Fish are animals, and all animals (including you and me) are host to bacteria and parasites. Most are harmless, at least most of the time. For example, each human carries skin bacteria that can cause a deadly infection if they can get into the bloodstream. That is why our skin is cleaned with alcohol before an injection. The bacteria are totally harmless on our skin. In a similar manner, we all have microscopic animals that live on our skin and are parasites. They do us no harm, but they are there.

Often the reason fish and we are not harmed by the presence of bacteria and parasites is that our immune systems keep the organisms in check. In fact, one of the most common sources of infections that cause illness or death is exposure to new bacteria or parasites that our immune systems have not yet learned to cope with. This is why we have all heard of someone putting a new perfectly healthy fish in a tank, and several days or weeks later having other fish start to die. The new fish was carrying bacteria or parasites, or both, to which it had some degree of immunity, while the fish all ready in the tank did not have immunity to those organisms. Of course, the reverse is true as well, and is the most common reason that new, healthy fish introduced into an existing tank will often become sick and eventually die.

The purposes of quarantine are:

to allow time for any harmful bacteria or parasites (hereafter called “pathogens”) to cause the new fish to become ill or die. (If the new fish dies, so will the bacteria and parasites.)

to allow time for the immune systems of the new fish to adjust to any new pathogens in the owners other tanks

to determine if the new fish is carrying pathogens that will be harmful to the owners existing fish.

When a new fish or fishes are bought, they should first be put into a tank in a separate room from existing tanks and, if feasible, on a separate floor. They need to have their own bucket, nets, hoses, etc. and not share those items with the other tanks. My first step is to just leave the fish alone, make certain they are eating well, and observe for about two weeks.

At water temperatures of 80F and up, parasites and bacteria multiply very fast. If the new fish do not die or become severely weak in two weeks, any bacteria or parasites are not harmful to it. Next, I start adding water from my existing tanks in place of water taken from the new fish. This water, of course, contains a sample of all the bacteria and parasites in my other tanks.

I totally change the water in the tank with the new fish in no more than 3 days time, and then continue to add new amounts for the next three to four weeks. If the new fish continue to be healthy at the end of that time, I know that there is nothing in my tanks that will harm them.

I then take fish from my existing tanks to put in with the new fish. I use guppies that I keep for this purpose, as well as angels with deformities. I first stress the fish by putting them in a bucket with very little water for at least 4-6 hours. Then I put them into the tank with no further acclimation. (The purpose of introducing stress is that the immune systems do not work as well when animals are under stress.) I then watch the new fish carefully for another 3-4 weeks. If they do not weaken or die, I then know that nothing about the new fish will harm the fish in my other tanks, and the quarantine period is over.

In the examples I have given, none of the fish became sick. If the fish become sick, the aquarist must decide whether to medicate or destroy both the ill fish and the new fish (if different). If the aquarist chooses to medicate, and the fish recover, the quarantine period must start again! The reason is because the fish might have become ill due to only one of a number of pathogens that are being harbored, and each pathogen needs to be identified.

Personally, I destroy the ill fish, wash out the tank(s), buckets, airlines, nets, etc. with a Clorox solution, and decide whether to start over with new fish. The reason I do not medicate is that almost none of the medications are effective in water with a pH above 7.5, and my pH is 8.0. While I can treat for external parasites with medications that is not pH sensitive, such medications are not effective for internal parasites. With my limited choices, I would rather destroy the fish than take a chance of a pathogen entering my hatchery.

I hope I have convinced you to quarantine all new fish and offered advice that you will find useful in doing so.

3. How can I tell the males from the females?
THE ONLY SURE WAY is to watch spawning: the female lays eggs and the male fertilizes them. Before spawning, a small pink protrusion or papilla will appear. This pencil point size organ is located between the ventral and anal fins. The papilla on the female is larger than on the male, more blunt. The female will show a distinct bulge in this area when she is gravid. As she makes a spawning pass, she will leave a track of eggs evenly spaced in a line. The male will follow in another pass, touching each egg with his papilla. He many continue making passes for a day or so, for good measure.

Some say that males grow faster, that mature males have a more robust body and a more rounded crown, and that females may have a straighter line from the base of the dorsal fin to their lips. I can't confirm this -- brothers and sisters often seem identical in shape and size.

Males tend to be more territorial. If there are several healthy males in a tank with a gravid female, they'll all show papilla and try to establish territory. Watch them closely and remove the less dominant males and any extra females. Spurned males will want to dash in and eat the eggs... or sneak over in the early morning for a caviar breakfast. It's a good idea to take pictures or better, a video of the tank before you remove the extras. Make notes on stripe patterns or other distinctive markings to help you select the males after the papilla disappear. Fish that look healthy and didn't develop papilla, and were not aggressive are probably females. If there are no males in the tank, another female may make spawning passes... but all the eggs will turn white within 36 hours.

4. What's a spawning slate?

A SPAWNING SLATE -- or two -- should be kept in the breeding tank, or any tank where you're raising fish for breeding. Otherwise, your fish may get into the annoying habit of spawning on tank walls or tubing. Discourage this by putting plastic plants around the old spawning site. Avoid wide leaf plants, another favorite in the wild.
Some breeders use clay pots, poly pipe, or plain slate rectangles. I find the fixture illustrated here safer and more convenient. You could take this picture to a local tile shop and buy slate pieces cut as shown. Or score slate deeply with a file or hack saw and snap over a dowel. Boil to clean or run through 2 cycles of your dishwasher -- use no soap-- and assemble using silicone rubber cement.

Make at least two. If you remove the eggs, you can replace the slate to reduce parental trauma. The eggs may be exposed to air for a few moments with no ill effects. The fixture may be laid down to fit into the shallower fry tank.

5. What should I feed my Angels?

I USE ANGEL FLAKE mail ordered from Angels Plus at the link http://www.angelsplus.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl?db=angelsplus.dat&method=Phrase&search=Angel%20Flake, only $9 per pound, for juveniles and adults, or $37.50 for 5 pounds. I transfered it from the plastic bag to coffee cans, when the first batch attracted mice. I also feed Brine Shrimp flake as an occasional treat and variety.

Feed once or twice daily, only what is consumed in 5 minutes. Healthy angels will beg when they're not hungry, and won't digest excessive food. I might drop in a flake or two when they act real cute. Siphon off any excess, or your water will cloud. Healthy fish can go a week without feeding when you're on vacation. Never allow feeding by anyone who won't be around to siphon off the excess. You could leave pre-measured portions for your fish-sitter.

Some breeders use frozen brine shrimp, beef heart, mosquito larvae, daphnia, etc. I find these a bother, and not really necessary. For a treat, I slice a frozen shrimp into small bits and feed them from my fingers. I store leftover shrimp in a zip-lock bag, excluding air to avoid freezer burn. Avoid live wild food, or you may introduce dangerous parasites.

It's VERY good to get your Angels used to switching foods. They will turn up their noses at any new food unless they go through a fast of a day or two.

FRY SURVIVE BEST on live, newly hatched brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii) at least every 12 hours... a little bit five times a day is best, for the first few days. The nauplii will swim for an hour or two in fresh water; but siphon off the dead ones after that. Frozen baby brine shrimp may also work, though I read that freezing lessens the food value. A less messy alternative is decapsulated brine shrimp eggs -- but with these, my yields are only 25-50 fry per spawn, versus 200-500 with live nauplii. Fry that feed on 'decaps' are sluggish and may be subject to attack from bacteria in the waste that accumulates on tank bottoms. You can buy decaps from www.angelsplus.com or direct from Brine Shrimp Direct, 800-303-7914, http://brineshrimpdirect.com/brineshrimpdirect-product-1-2-13.htm#decap. If you feed live nauplii, you can switch from live nauplii to decapsulated eggs after three weeks for convenience and a possible cost savings. However, your fry may all be runts if you switch too soon. Careful here.

I've tired Liquifry, boiled egg-yolk suspension, or Micro-Feed (available from Angels Plus, at the URL http://www.angelsplus.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl?db=angelsplus.dat&search=Micro-Feed for the first few days to help fry that are too tiny to eat the shrimp hatchlings or decapsulated eggs. After 3 or 4 weeks, force some flake through a fine screen, and put a pinch under the surface an hour before the nauplii feeding. Siphon off uneaten flake before the regular feeding. Discontinue Artemia when the fry are getting their fill of dry flake food.

6. What about water?

I USE TAP WATER, filtered through a counter-top carbon cartridge. Chlorine can be neutralized with the cheap sodium thiosulfate (photographers 'hypo') based chemicals, or simply aged for a few hours. Most U.S. cities now have added Chloramine, which can be deadly in 100% water changes. Products like AmQuel are said to neutralize the chlorine part of the molecule and bind the ammonia, making it harmless. This may be suitable for small operations, but is expensive if you have many tanks.

While Angels can tolerate some extremes, bad conditions cause stress, limit growth size, and inhibit breeding. Caltech's FAQ's on Water Treatment faq.thekrib.com/begin-tapwater.html and Practical Water Chemistry faq.thekrib.com/begin-chem.html cover the essentials. Consult with local aquarists about special water problems in your area. Though Angels can tolerate pH from 6.5 to 8.5, and moderate hardness and salinity, abrupt changes can be deadly. Breeders report that high pH or hardness may be hard on fry, particularly the fancier strains, and use deionized or distilled water. Treated tap water may be introduced slowly after three weeks.

VERY bad water may have to be conditioned in algae farm tanks. Angels can typically survive water that isn't cycled, but thrive on frequent water changes. 25 to 50% daily is best, but 10% weekly is adequate in uncrowded tanks. Infrequent changes are survivable and can serve as birth control, when you're over-populated... but not too long, or you'll get cloudy water and fin rot.

Scrub your hands and arms with a clean wash cloth and hot water -- no soap! Use a siphon wand to clear solid waste from the bare tank bottom. (You may add a length of rigid acrylic tubing for better control, or in large bore tubing, insert a stiff coat hanger wire.) Once a week, remove the sponge filters and squeeze them in the removed water. Use a small washcloth to wipe scum from the top tank edge before refilling, or wipe the whole tank if it's grungy. If you don't mind the appearance, you could leave all but the front glass alone; the algae and other organisms that grow there can help reduce nitrogen. Move slowly, and feed a treat before and after the work to reduce nervous nelly nose-bonking. If an aggressive fish dashes up to bite you, don't flinch -- Angels have tiny mouths, and can't hurt you.

7. What's the best temperature for Angels?

ANGELS LIKE high temperatures -- 80 to 85 degrees F (27 - 29C). I use submersible heaters, attached low on the back tank wall so they won't interfere with cleaning, or crack when water levels are low. Colder temperatures may cause health problems.

I may run as high as 90-95 degrees F (32-35C) for a few days for stressed fish. Keeping the temperatures on the lower side (75-80F, 24-27C) may slow metabolism, and be better if you have to leave them for a week, or to condition juveniles headed for unheated tanks in the pet stores. Below 75F (24C), fish will be sluggish and weak.

8. How do I know when they're ready to spawn?

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR is the first tip-off. Juveniles will spar a bit from 3 months on, but serious courting rituals begin at 8-12 months, when females begin to get gravid. Look for bulging bellies. Pairs will begin posturing, flash fins, sometimes lock jaws and twist. When they're satisfied, they'll select a spawning site and start cleaning.

Sometimes a larger fish may damage the other's mouth. I had a black male that blinded one and killed another female before a large, tougher female took charge. Aggressive youngsters may learn some manners if kept in a tank with 6 or 8 others, especially if there's a large docile grownup present. Watch them closely during courtship, and place an injured fish behind a plastic partition to give it a chance to heal. Some fancy strains are overly aggressive, or just bad parents, and cannot raise the fry themselves; you'll have to remove the fry to perpetuate these varieties. In nature, spawning fish will drive others away. In our small tanks, they may kill others.

9. Can I raise baby Angels in a community tank?

NOT VERY LIKELY, or not very many. The tiny fry that are not eaten can be sucked into the gravel or most any other filter systems. Some aquarists report success with reverse flow gravel filters with sponge over the intake, but my advice is NO gravel, unless you're planning to remove the breeding slate after spawning.

But hey, you can watch this for yourself while you make up your mind about becoming a breeder. Try using a partition, and sponge filters in two corners, turning the other filters off. Don't get upset if the eggs get eaten, there will be more in 2-3 weeks.

Aquarists don't agree on what fish are safe to mix with Angels in a community tank. I don't usually keep 'show' tanks... just breeders. I've seen a smallish Jack Dempsey slaughter a much bigger Angelfish, in an hour. Gouramis, especially the Kissing ones, are very bad. Angels are very poor swimmers, designed for camouflage and stealth rather than fast moves... streamlined fish with large mouths are not good. Catfish are OK, as are Zebras, Danios, Guppies, and perhaps a Siamese fighting fish.

10. Can the pair raise their own young?

YES, AND IT'S FUN TO WATCH. But you may still want to raise some fry in a small tank. Young parents often eat their first few spawns. You might want to try pulling the slate out and raising a batch yourself.

Even if you have parents that are successfully raising a batch, they will spawn again in two or three weeks, and the previous generation will eat their siblings off the slate. Yuck! And at 5-6 weeks, fry will start munching on the parent's fins and skin, which will eventually weaken and kill them.

Try raising some fry separately. It's no more trouble than raising them in the parents' tank, perhaps less.

11. What's the ideal setup for a breeding pair?

TALL TANKS are best, 16 inches (40cm) or more high. Adult angels won't grow to full size in short tanks. One pair can do very well in a 15 gallon (57 liter), 18" (46 cm) high tank ... but this size is not standard and is somewhat costly. More economical are the standard 20H, 16" high (25l, 46cm) and 25G, 20" high (95 liter, 50cm). These larger tanks may be partitioned with plastic to support two breeding pairs, if you are going to remove the fry. Use an opaque plastic divider, your parents will be more relaxed. A cover may be essential: Angels who are into defending their fry may jump out to get you! I prefer the glass folding type. Angels live normally in dark, murky water, but a strong light helps with cleaning chores.

Stick a submersible heater low on the rear wall where it won't interfere with cleaning, and won't crack when water is siphoned off.

I use sponge filters ONLY, two in larger tanks, in the front where they'll be easy to remove for cleaning. My favorite are the 4x4x4 inch (10x10x10 cm) cube types, available by mail order from many commercial Angelfish breeders. Most sponge filters work well. I don't like the 'dirt magnet' corrugated variety -- the poor design plugs up too quickly. Allow the 'mulm' to build up, for a week, then squeeze out the filter once in the removed water.

For cleaning waste from the tank bottom, I use a two-foot (60 cm) 7/8" (2 cm) rigid acrylic tubing wand with 5 feet (1.5 meters) of vinyl tubing. I have some larger bore tubing to speed up water changes, and insert a coat-hanger wire to get control. Large-bore rigid acrylic and flexible vinyl tubing may be purchased at homebrew shops.

12. What's the ideal setup for fry?

SOME BREEDERS prefer hatching in a one or two gallon container, like a recycled mayo jar. They may put this inside a heated ten-gallon tank, transferring the fry to the tank after a week or two. I use a 5 or 10 gallon (19 to 38 liter) tank from the start. A cover isn't essential, but can help keep the water's surface cleaner. Good light is helpful while siphoning off waste. Place a submersible heater low on the rear wall where it won't interfere with cleaning.

I use tap water, treated for Chloramine, with five drops of 10% methylene blue per ten gallons (38 liters) to inhibit fungus growth. Some use Maroxy or Marvel-Med. Don't use any fungus treatment if you're allowing the parents to raise the young; good parents will keep the eggs clean.

Take some care to match the temperature of the parents' tank before the transfer. It won't hurt to expose the slate to the air for a few seconds. Some breeders place an air stone near the slate, but this isn't essential. When the fry are free swimming, remove the slate and switch to a sponge filter. If fry stay in tank corners, reduce the air flow to let them rest. A thousand swimmers makes quite a sight -- but many will die. Typical survival is 200 to 500 using live Artemia nauplii, or 0 to 50 with dead foods.

It's important to siphon off debris and dead fry frequently, 1 to 3 times a day. Change 10% to 90% of the water every day for three weeks, and give the sponge a squeeze in the water you've removed. It will remove some debris by mechanical action, but won't become biologically active until all the fungicide is gone. If your refill water is cool, siphon it through small-bore tubing to reduce thermal shock -- but DO NOT leave a siphon unattended... it can tip over, reverse flow, and empty your fry tank!

Make a small cleaning wand from a length of 1/4 inch (6 mm) rigid plastic tubing. For better control, you can put an 80-90 degree bend near one end by heating it over a stove burner. Fit it to a length of air tubing. If you suck up a live one, stop the flow quickly by closing your finger over the end, and raise the end to return it to the tank. When you're done, swirl the removed water and watch for live fry, using the wand to suck them up and return them to the fry tank.

13. How can I count the eggs?

I'm always amazed when breeders guess that they have 'about a hundred' eggs... I just don't believe it! Typical spawns are 400 to 1,200 eggs. To accurately estimate your egg count, use your computer to print a 1/4" grid websvirginia.com/angels/images/grid.jpg (er... about 6mm's) on a transparent sheet. Tape it to the side of your tank near the slate. Using a strong hand lens and good light, count the eggs in several cells. Estimate the number of full cells, and multiply the answers.

14. What happens during the first week?

IF THE EGGS ARE FERTILE:

Day 0: Eggs spawned in streaks, are clear or translucent, slightly yellow.

Day 1: Some infertile eggs turn white.

Day 2: More eggs turn white, wiggling tails emerge from the clear eggs. Some white eggs may get fuzzy.

Day 3: Tadpole shape forms with large yolk sack, fry remain stuck to the slate. If the parents are around, they will move them from place to place.

Day 4: Small eyes form.

Day 5: Eyes grow large, yolk sack shrinks. Time to start brine shrimp hatchery.

Day 6: Some fry are free swimming.

Day 7: All free swimming, time to start feeding.

You can follow these changes with a strong hand lens and strong light. If all the eggs are infertile, they will turn white and get fuzzy from fungus attack after a day or two.

15. How do I hatch brine shrimp for feeding Angel fry?

HATCHING ARTEMIA (Brine Shrimp) is the only tricky part of raising Angelfish! The tall, straight-sided olive jars I like can hold six cups (1.4 liters) of brine, with a little room to spare. (Where do I get big olive jars? We consume lots of Olive Salad while making wonderful New Orleans Muffuletta sandwiches. See http://colorpro.com/great-sandwiches/ for complete directions!) You can adjust temperature in the jars by varying the distance from the lamp. I use 80 degrees F (27C). Use non-iodized salt, seven teaspoons (35cc) to 6 cups (1.6 liters) tap water, treated for Chloramine if needed. This should give you a brine with a specific gravity of 1.022. Add a scant teaspoon of baking soda; Artemia hatch best at pH 8.4 or higher. I add 1/4 teaspoons (1.2cc) cysts, cap the jar, and give it a good shake to get them wet. Hatching will start within 12 hours. With fast air flow, most will hatch in the first 24 hours. Discard any culture when the water clouds with bacteria or smells sour.

To harvest, pull out the air wands, stir, and wait a few minutes to let things settle. The nauplii will collect at the top near the light, and at the bottom farthest from the light. Use a wand to siphon them through an 8 inch (20 cm) circle of cloth (cut from an old sheet) over an 8 ounce (230 ml) margarine tub. Return the brine to the hatching jar and rinse the nauplii into the tub.

After 24-36 hours, siphon all the remaining nauplii from the oldest jar and start a new batch -- they have very little food value after one day. Discard any cultures that turn cloudy or foul-smelling, and avoid inoculating fresh cultures with contaminated wands.

This setup can keep several batches of fry happy and well fed. To increase production, use more than 1/4 teaspoon (1.2cc) of cysts, or more jars, with faster air flow.

For more info on good ways to raise nauplii, even to adult size, see the scientific Artemia culture FAQ by Kai Schumann at websvirginia.com/angels/artemiafaq.htm.

16. How do I get rid of 50-200 young Angels every week?

MAKE FRIENDS with the retail dealers in your area. Many - but not the large chain stores - will give you $1 each, for dime (18mm) to nickel (21mm) size fry, and may give you a breeder's discount on purchases. If you need equipent, you might get a start by offering fish in trade. Small shops usually welcome local tank breeders: many remember the Great Discus and Angelfish Plague of 1986, www.fishgeeks.com/faqs/plague.htm, that wiped out the stock at most stores and commercial hatcheries.

I have been asked: Can you make money breeding Angels? Perhaps... but you'd have to love the work. Here are some important tips.

If you're interested in breeding Angels at all, do join The Angelfish Society to meet others who do it. Their link is at www.aquaworldnet.org/tas/. Study their Genetics pages before you decide on the varieties you will attempt to raise.

Common varieties, like Silver or Gold, from your Pet store fish may be stronger and more prolific than very fancy varieties from breeders. .. but it is best to get your fish ONLY from another Angelfish breeder who will USUALLY provide you with healthy fish. Remember, every time you add fish to your current stock, you are adding all the bugs from another source. Learn why and how to quarantine here.

If you like breeding Angels, it's a nice hobby. With a few tanks, you might eventually recover part of your expenses. Local pet stores generally like breeders, since they provide healthy fish... about 15 years ago, something called 'Angelfish Plague' wiped out just about all the fish farms. But local pet stores have been closing, and you will not be able to sell to the xxxMarts, who deal only with wholesalers. Most all stores will want to pay 50 cents or a $1.50 dollar per fish and sell them for $5 to $10. A hobbyist might also sell his better fish by air, or to local hobbyists.

Let's consider commercial operations.

Fish Farms
These operations specialize in supplying the xxxMarts and other pet stores. Operations in southern Florida might use big fiberglass tanks, no heaters, continuous dripping of water, possibly without any pre-treatment. Add water, clean up a bit, harvest fish. Bingo.

Breeder's Suppliers
Have a look at one serious breeder's setup Stuart Chale's fish room. These breeders will start by supplying local pet stores, but eventually raise fish MOSTLY for shipping to serious hobbyists. Dime-size fish sell for $3-$10, depending on appearance and how hard they are to raise. Breeding pairs sell for $100 to $250. Shipping by U.S. mail or air might cost $30-$60.

17. How can I make good pictures of my Angels?

This information is too extensive to be covered in this page. You'll have to visit a separate Web page at websvirginia.com/angels/pictures.

18. My Angels are sick / dying. What can I do?

PREVENTION is far better than the cure! In my earlier years, I often lost half or more of the fish I bought in local pet shops. I thought the hobby was "Buy beautiful creatures and watch them die..."

Know your source. Never buy from a tank with sluggish or dead fish. Your dealer may offer refunds -- you may have to salt down and freeze any that die. The safest way to get breeders is to start DRY. Buy from only ONE other breeder, one that is careful to quarantine when s/he adds new fish.

Avoid putting new fish in with your current stock, or you may loose them all. Set up a 10 gallon (38 l) quarantine tank -- you'll need this for raising fry later. Acclimate the new arrivals by adding 1/4 volumes of water from the new tank once an hour. Angels are really hardy fish. They can live happily in water of pH from 6.5 to 8.5 and salinity from 80 to 500+ppm. They may survive lower temperatures (70-80F, 21-27C) but prefer 85-90F. High hardness can be stressful. High concentrations of waste products are bad; water changes of 1/4 to 1/2 volume daily are best for crowded tanks, though they can survive (but will rarely breed) with 10% weekly changes in uncrowded tanks.

Put new arrivals in a tall bucket with an air stone. I set up a siphon from the hospital tank, using airline tubing through a valve -- or a simple knot. I calibrate the drip rate to quadruple the volume of the original water in 8 to 12 hours. When the volume in the bucket is sufficient, I move the submersible heater from the hospital tank to the bucket, to minimize thermal shock. When the temperatures are right, I transfer the fish using a net, discarding the water in the bucket. Move a conditioned sponge filter from an established tank to the new tank. Later, if you're moving them into a tank with other Angels, it's best to use a partition for a few days to reduce territorial disputes. Move them in the late evening, they'll be less hostile in the morning.

Are your fish sick? The common white spot disease, Ich, can't survive in warm water, 85-95F (30-35C). Then check the Usenet newsgroups, using www.groups.google.com. Join the Stripes mailing list at http://world.std.com/~enjolras/stripes.htmll, but try searching the archives before asking questions.

19. Where can I get more information?

THERE ARE LOTS of good links on the Web. Some breeders recommend techniques different than mine, that work as well or better! If you borrow our pictures, or you just want to be nice, please link to this site. You might use this HTML code:
<a href="http://websvirginia.com/angels"> Reggie Dawes' Angelfish Breeding FAQ</a>
Thanks!

MAIL LIST

Join Stripes for great e-mail discussions with experienced breeders. They are very kind to beginners:
http://world.std.com/~enjolras/stripes.html

GREAT LINKS

From the encyclopedic FINS (Fish Information Service) archives:
www.actwin.com/fish/
Angelfish by Cindy Hawley. Detailed article: varieties, breeding, diseases and more: www.actwin.com/fish/species/angelfish.html

From Sean O'Brien's excellent JAWS (Just Aquaria Web Site):
www.fishgeeks.com/index.html
Raising and Spawning Pterophyllum Scalare by Sue Kelly:
www.fishgeeks.com/faqs/angel1.htm
Raising Angelfish by Brian Uphaus. Some very important points, clues that may help tell the sexes apart:
www.feist.com/~bpuphaus/angelfish.
Spawning the Chocolate Angelfish by Jennifer and Henry Wilkinson
www.fishgeeks.com/faqs/angel2.htm
Angelfish by J.D. Whaley. Rearing baby Angels:
www.fishgeeks.com/faqs/angel3.htm
How to Raise a Quality Angelfish by Jody A. Ghianni:
www.fishgeeks.com/faqs/angel4.htm
FAQ For Artemia Culture by Kai Schumann. Technical details on raising brine shrimp: members.home.net/wmdawes/angels/artemia.htm.

See Dr. Ochiai's Angelfish Page for his breeding tips and great pictures of breeders and fry -- some pages in English, mostly in Japanese:
www.ochiai.com/aqua/angelfish_e.html

Shim Kim Fah's Angel Fish Culture, University of Singapore, with excellent pictures, facts about habitat, discovery, scientific names and descriptions:
www.science.nus.edu.sg/~webdbs/fish/angel/angel.html

From the interesting Aqualink site:
www.aqualink.com/ , see Raising Angelfish My Way by Sam McDonald. Check lists for the new breeder.
www.aqualink.com/fresh/z-angel.html

COMMERCIAL BREEDERS

All ship by same-day or next-day parcel services. Some also supply brine shrimp eggs, sponge filters, medications, books, etc. Most will send e-mail if you register for notices about their specials, new strains, or when breeding pairs become available.

Oodles of Angels www.oodlesofangels.com/ -- northern Virginia. Scott Saunders is an expert breeder and programmer, and his site shows it! May have more answers than this FAQ, beautiful pictures of strains and fish room. Scott has developed a coding shorthand for the angelfish strains, and presents a genetics calculator at oodlesofangels.com/genetics.htm, to help you predict what to expect when you cross various strains. I'm now raising fry from Scott's beautiful German Blue Blushers!

Angels Plus -- angelsplus.com in western New York (Olean). Steve Rybicki describes and sells the various strains angelsplus.com/catalog/angels.htm , and tells what to expect when you cross them. Steve also sells breeding pairs angelsplus.com/pair.htm, plus a wide variety of foods, medicines, and supplies. Site design by !

Angels West -- angelswest.com Tony Minneboo, from the San Francisco area, shipping across the US and Canada. He sent me 6 of his VERY handsome standard and veil double-dark blacks (velvety jet black!) 4 months ago, along with two Sunset Blushings; all are doing well. Tony's nice Gallery page www.angelswest.com/gallery.htm is growing, shows most varieties.

Tropicals Direct -- colorpro.com/tropicals-direct. Shipping from Detroit. Kim Dailey hatches Angelfish and Discus, and sells 100+ varieties of freshwater tropical fish, great if you want more than just Angelfish. Very good prices, and low-cost weekly specials. Site design and hosting by !

Amazon Angels -- www.amazonangels.com/. Shipping from Chicago. Lots of nice pictures!

NEWSGROUPS

Newsgroups rec.aquaria.tech, rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids and sci.aquaria. Experienced Web users start with DejaNews www.deja.com to find answers from in the archives. Before you post questions, study Caltech's Aquaria FAQ at faq.thekrib.com/map.html! Want to learn the lingo? Are your fish sick? Need books or magazines? Looking for mail order houses, along with aquarists' ratings of them? It's all in the Caltech FAQ's!

Forming a new Newsgroup is a gauntlet I've run once, news:sci.engr.color. Angelfish breeding might be a good one, but I'm not willing to spend 6-9 months working on it. deja.com discussion groups are easy -- and deja.com archives and searches them just like they ARE newsgroups! We have an experimental one started at www.deja.com/~angefishbreeders/... log in there and ask questions, share your expertise. [NOTE the misspelling, I left an "l" out, it should have been /~angelfishbreeders... too hard to change, live with it.]

20. I know a better way: how can I contribute to this FAQ?

We have formatted this FAQ with one question per page -- see websvirginia.com/angels/abfaq.htm. Each page to allows guests to instantly to add comments on the topic. Or send email -- I'm depending on you to correct my mistakes, or just write to say what's working for you.